I'm A Grenade
by Doctor Peanut Fluffybutt
Summary: Annabeth Chase lives at Camp normally, until a spawn of Poseidon her age happens to arrive with cancer and an attitude that makes her decide to give this guy a chance. Percy Jackson has faults, and his own problems to deal with, but certain events take place and Annabeth has to watch her friend's health deteriorate. He's a Grenade. There are no Faults in Our Stars, previously. AU.
1. A Meeting With Haste and (Some) Pain

**Hey! So… this fic is inspired by John Green's wonderful TFIOS, aka ****_The Fault In Our Stars_****, my favourite book in the history of ever. It made me laugh, cry, smile, rage, and any other emotion except hate (besides that ASSHOLE P-)**

**So even if it seems like it, I'm not new to Fanfiction. I've had two accounts previous to this. One that I was bullied for having, and the ideas were crap, so yeah, the second was just… Mind block. I forgot the password, and yeah. No biggy :P**

**Even though TFIOS inspired this, it's not a copy. They're still demigods, but it's kind of an AU, and only one character has cancer (Hazel's cancer, Thyroid and a colony in the lungs), I changed some ages and age gaps, and the ending is pretty similar, and I've stolen quotes here and there, but yeah.**

**There's a reason this is rated T – language, angst, and hopefully, I send a message.**

**I don't own any of the three series/book – Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus, written by Rick Riordan; or TFIOS, written by John Green.**

**DFTBA. **

* * *

Chiron called me into the Big House on June 18th, 2006. Of course, I obliged. I left the arena, wiping the sweat from my brow as the Ares camper I had been battling with game me a begrudging nod. I smirked in his direction and saluted him, strapping my bronze dagger to my thigh.

Luke saw me and grinned, waving. His scar rippled, a long ugly thing that stretched from his eyebrow to his upper left on his right eye. I blushed lightly. The guy was nineteen as of last month, and I turned fourteen in April. The guy was handsome, and every girl in her right mind, or who wasn't oriented… that way, found him attractive. Including me, unfortunately. But I still thought of him (mostly) as my older brother.

I jogged over, and said, "Hey, Luke. How's it going?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Same old, same old, Annie-" I resisted to punch him in the gut at that, "-and I heard Chiron called for ya. What's happening?"

"Don't know, really," I said, scowling at the ground. "Haven't done anything-"

He smirked and cut me off. "Oh, really? Are you sure? Has my little 'Beth gone bad?"

"Oh, shut up, will you? I'm sure he want me to give another tour, you pea-brained doofus." I reached up and whacked him upside the head. It would've been more effective had I been a foot taller.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I better not keep you stalled, O Wise One," he said, giving me a mock bow.

I gave him a light kick in the shins. "Later, you weird kleptomaniac."

"Later, nerd."

"Shut the hell up."

* * *

I sat down in Chiron's office; waiting patiently as Chiron filed through the letters he'd received from many a parents.

"Ah, here it is… Sally Jackson's son, Perseus, I believe, is arriving at camp tomorrow."

"Need me to give a tour, Chiron? Explanation?"

"Oh, a tour, yes. Explanation? No, he's known for quite a while now."

I scowled. "Have there been attacks?"

"Up until he was… nine, I believe," he said. Suddenly, Chiron looked at the opened letter pitifully.

"But… why?"

I was awfully confused. If he'd been attacked before he turned ten, it meant that his godly father is pretty darned powerful. But why would the monsters stop?

Chiron immediately changed the subject. "Annabeth… this boy has had it harder than a lot of campers."

I scoffed. "Not being attacked by monsters while knowing for five years seems spectacular to me."

"The reason has weakened him. He knows his father, Annabeth. He knows that something was out to kill him, but didn't bother when…" he trailed off. "No matter. I need to ask you something. A favor."

I hesitated. "I have a question first. I won't do the favor if you don't answer truthfully."

He closed his eyes briefly. "Ask away, dear."

"Who's his dad?"

Chiron winced. "I was afraid you'd ask that."

"Just answer, Chiron."

"Poseidon."

My eyes bulged. If I had been eating or drinking, I'm sure I would have choked to death on something. _Poseidon broke it too?! There's another child of the Big Three?_

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm not doing anything for any dirty-rotten, scumbag son of the sea god! I swear to Athena, I-"

"Annabeth."

I stopped, taking in a breath. "I won't help him."

"You promised. And besides… he's different. Quite different."

I winced. I did promise. And I was very serious about my promises.

"… Fine. How can I help?"

"Show him around for one. But… don't pity him."

"Huh?"

"The letter says he despises sympathy and pity. It 'puts a damper on his already large ego', to quote his mother."

"What's to pity?"

"Something quite serious, Annabeth."

He has been avoiding the answer, and it was pissing me off, but I didn't question.

"Alright. I'll do it," I said, knowing full well there would be no point in arguing with Chiron.

"Stay safe, dear. Come by the big house tomorrow at noon."

* * *

The next day, I met with Chiron at Half Blood hill, sending him a quick look.

I sighed. "How much longer?" I asked, my ADHD getting to me as I tapped my foot impatiently.

"Ten minutes."

I groaned, and killed time by counting the leaves on an evergreen. I was at five hundred and thirty-two when a dryad rippled through, giggling and she skipped away. Her moving caused the leaves to rustle, and me to lose count. I cursed under my breath.

"They're here."

I looked down to see a blue Prius pull up. A man in his mid-forties with salt and pepper hair, and a thin frame stepped out the drivers side awkwardly, watching as a woman stepped out the shotgun, and opened the door to which her son was.

The woman was Sally Jackson, surely, and the man, a stepfather to Perseus. The woman pulled out one suitcase, and this… green, cylindrical suitcase. I rolled my eyes. It was probably a new suitcase design.

Then, this lanky teenager with a mop of black hair stepped out. I couldn't see him too well, but he was lightly tanned. _Natural_. He looked at the hill, and paled. He looked at his mom, who stiffened, and pulled him into a hug, obviously crying. They pulled away, and I saw him say something along the lines of 'Love you.' He shook hands with the guy, and began pulling his things up.

After five minutes of slow climbing, I sighed. "Slow, much?" I muttered.

Suddenly, I saw it. First, I saw his eyes, which were bright green. Then, the oxygen tank, hooked up to a cannula that looped over his ears, and under his nose.

This guy had breathing problems. Guilt washed over me. Sick demigods weren't hunted; they weren't bothered with.

He shakily took another step up the slightly steep hill, but collapsed, his actual suitcase tumbling down the hill, but his tank stayed put as he used any strength left to clutch onto it.

"Get his suitcase, Annabeth. I'll take him to the infirmary."

I nodded. "Cabin three?"

"Of course."

I ran down the hill, grabbed his suitcase, and pulled it up, watching as he took this guy, this sick guy, to the infirmary.

* * *

**So that's the first chapter. Tell me what you think, please! I've had this idea for AGES.**

**Thanks!**

**-Eli**


	2. Damn Hermes Kids

The first thing I sit was go to the Infirmary, obviously. I mean, I had to see the guy.

He sat up, holding his water, flushed red. Chiron was in his wheelchair, smiling as he saw me walk in.

"Annabeth! Meet Percy Jackson here. You'll give him a tour later, I believe."

"'Course! Nice to meet you, Jackson," I said, giving him a tight smile. He noticed. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

"Um… Hi," he said, before turning pink. I smirked.

"You good?" I asked, making sure not to look too concerned, like Chiron advised.

"Yeah, I guess," he murmured, fidgeting with his cannula.

"Come on, then. Keep the water with you, son of Poseidon. It should be good for you."

He hesitated, but took it anyway. He swung his legs over, and stood, using his canister for support.

"Let's go," he said, giving me a weak smile.

He was cute, I guess. He was about my age, maybe a bit older? I couldn't be sure.

"Maybe you can tell me about yourself, Jackson."

* * *

"What do you have?" I asked him, after showing the Volleyball court.

He glared at me, and I regretted asking. We'd been having a pretty nice, lighthearted conversation, before I opened my big mouth.

"Thyroid, originally, but then they found the damn colony in my lungs, and…" he trailed off. "Yeah."

"Sorry I asked."

"Me too."

We stayed silent after that, and then he sighed.

"I'm sorry, that was rude."

I pursed my lips. "Whatever."

"Yeah, whatever," he mused, elbowing me with he free arm.

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a loser."

"So I've heard."

I snickered. "From whom?"

"My step sister."

"Obviously. How old?"

"Five."

I whistled. "Lame."

"I called her a popsicle, though."

"Huh?"

"Inside thing. You wouldn't get it."

"Uh-huh. Try me, sea spawn."

"Right-o, Owl Head. _Anyway_, when she was three, all her friends were into popsicles for whatever reason. She was the only one who had never tried one. My mom, being the awesome mom she is, got this bunch of blue popsicles, and invited her class over for a 'Popsicle Party' or whatever. I wasn't there; I was going through chemo, but my mom filmed everything. Anyway, all her friends teased her for not having pink and yellow popsicles, which makes no sense, because those are gross, but yeah. My sister was pissed with my mom for weeks, before she gave up on being mad. She's hated them ever since."

"That's…" I was at loss for words.

"Weird?"

"Hilarious!" I said, laughing. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Uh-huh."

"Not that complicated either, Kelp Head."

"Mm..." he said, smirking. "You're _so _weird."

"Ditto."

"Shut up."

"Not happening, bird brain."

I gave him a look before rolling my eyes. "You're retarded."

"I know."

I decided to give Jackson a chance then; he was a cool guy.

* * *

Percy decided not to do anything out of the ordinary in terms of exercise – he lifted weights to strengthen his arms, but couldn't do that for too long without going weak. Once, he collapsed.

Not because of weights. Some ass from the Ares cabin decided it would be funny to give him a sword and make him verse other campers, because he 'had it in him'. The egotistic son of Poseidon damn well took the challenge, inexperienced and assuming that this guy was cool or something.

He was in the infirmary for a bit, and it was pretty devastating. I mean, he was bleeding all over, his cannula was disgruntled, and he was _pale._

He was only here for a week and he already made me fear for his health.

* * *

At the campfire two weeks latter to his arrival, Percy finally came to spend time with us. He happily sung along with our songs, and seemed to have a good time, but avoided the fire and marshmallows. I would've asked why, but decided not to.

Despite the happy mood, I felt like something bad was going to happen. Earlier, I saw a Hermes kid with his friend from Ares, holding a pair of scissors and snickering about something. At the time, I had ignored them. After all, the Hermes and Demeter cabin had been feuding for years now – since I first came to camp. I figured they would just cut some plants or something like that.

Now… I doubted it. No screams resounded from Demeter's cabin, not any yells of outrage. Now, the Hermes kid sat behind Percy, laughing along with his friends. Percy was nervously talking to a daughter of Aphrodite, trying to avoid her flirts.

I rolled my eyes. Percy, admittedly, would've been pretty damn handsome had it not been his slightly puffy face and lanky build. His hair was tinted gray, probably because of chemo.

My siblings began to talk to me, pulling me from my thoughts.

* * *

I was walking Percy back to his cabin. He looked really tired, and I could imagine why. He didn't seem like a talker, and if I do say so myself, he was probably struggling with some form of depression. Probably mild, but I still worried.

"You alright?"

No response.

"Percy?"

I couldn't hear his footsteps next to me anymore.

"… Percy?"

I turned, to see a pale boy looking at the ground. His skin was turning blue, and I felt myself freeze. What was-

Percy collapsed, out cold. I ran to him, and felt panicked. What happened? What-

His cannula wasn't connected to his tank. It was cut. That Hermes kid probably cut the tube. He probably thought that this life-threatening prank would be funny.

"HEALER! CHIRON! SOMEONE! THIS KID IS DYING!" I screamed, pulling him up. I could feel shallow breaths, slowly deteriorating on my shoulder as I pulled him to the infirmary. I could see the outline of Will Solace as he ran to us, ready to take charge of Percy's condition.

* * *

**I get that that was pretty crap, but hell, I just finished the whole story! That's what the wait was for, you guys. It's only a draft, so editing will happen. It's not like I have a schedule, you expectant children :P**


	3. Of Infirmaries and Chats

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm happy you like the story so far :D**

**Don't touch my Seaweed Brain: Thanks for the compliment! People in school can be pretty mean. I was bullied for other stuff, too. I moved schools. Anyway. DID YOU READ TFIOS YET?!**

**Sylvia16: I will! :P**

**XxbethamphetaminexX: That's the point :P**

**Allen r: Thank you :3**

* * *

Will Solace panicked.

He was used to physical wounds easily fixed by ambrosia or nectar and a bandage or something. This was not that kind of wound. Percy was laid out on a cot, and Will worked to find something to connect the tubes together again.

Chiron quickly came in and told Will to step aside, which he gladly did. Will walked over to me.

I was merely sitting in a chair nearby, feeling absolutely furious. How _dare _that guy do that! I was definitely going to t-

"Hey, Annabeth," Will said, taking a seat next to me.

"Will." I acknowledged him with a nod.

"What happened?" he asked incredulously, glancing at Percy.

"Hermes kid," I muttered, knowing that that should suffice as an explanation.

"Elaborate?"

I guess not.

I explained what happened and as I did, his face contorted into an expression of irritation and disbelief.

"You'd think that Hermes's children had boundaries, huh?" he muttered, glaring in Percy's direction.

"Yeah," I sighed. "You would."

* * *

Percy actually had to get a new oxygen tank from a mortal hospital a few miles away. He was released from the infirmary a week later.

I saw him walk out shakily, holding a glass of water. He caught my eye, flushed a bright red, and went straight to his cabin without a word. I rolled my eyes, and followed him. I got to his cabin and knocked on his door, forgetting to admire the gorgeous design of the cabin Percy Jackson probably wouldn't appreciate.

"Hello?" I said impatiently, tapping my foot against the wood of his porch.

"Hello. You've reached the Poseidon cabin. Percy Jackson, the current resident, is unavailable at the moment. Please leave your name, cabin, and reason of visit and he'll get back to you ASAP. BOOP."

"Perseus I-don't-know-your-middle-name Jackson, open this door before I kick it down myself."

I heard a light shuffle, but no footsteps in the direction of the door.

I shrugged. "Suit yourself," I said, stepping back, as I lifted my foot.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA. Don't freaking kick my door down, you psycho!"

The door quickly opened, but it was too late. I ended up kicking him straight in the chest.

"Oof!" he said, falling to the ground, suddenly winded.

"Oh my gods, are you okay?" I said, leaning down next to him.

"Oh, sure. I mean, I wasn't just kicked in the chest by a psychopathic daughter of Athena."

He was being sarcastic. Good, at least something was right.

"Infirmary. You should go to the infirmary," I stated, helping him up.

He crossed his arms. "Jesus, woman. I think I'll live," he said, grabbing his water and taking a sip.

"Jesus?"

"Jesus."

At that, I couldn't help but snort. "Well, then."

"Uh-huh. You gonna judge my choice of words, smart-ass?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I challenged.

"Uh… I have _no _idea."

I snickered. "Of course you wouldn't, Seaweed Brain."

He raised an eyebrow. "Seaweed Brain?"

"Yeah, cause your head is full of kelp."

Percy sighed. "There are no good insults besides 'Pellet Brain' and 'Smartass'," he pointed out.

"Exactamundo."

"Exactamundo. Really?"

"Yeah, actually."

Percy seemed at loss for words. "Annabeth, I really have no clue about what to say to that."

* * *

"Why didn't you open the door when I came over?" I asked.

He winced. "It's a little embarrassing to have been to the Infirmary twice in three weeks."

"And you were there for a third of those three weeks, too."

"Shut up."

I laughed lightly, and he smirked.

"The ocean's pretty," I admitted. "But it's got nothing on Olympus."

"You've been to Olympus?" he asked. It wasn't as if he were surprised, though. It was more of a casual inquiry.

"Yeah, every winter solstice for the past four years. Some of us year-rounders go there. Me, Luke, Clarisse, Katie, Will, the Stolls, Malcom, Beckendorf, Silena… a few others. It's like a winter field trip."

Percy whistled. "Wow. I'm guessing you've spoken with your mom?" he asked wistfully. I realized he had never met his dad, even throughout his treatment.

I shrugged it off. "Obviously."

"What did she say?"

I swallowed. "That she was proud of me and my brother, Malcom."

Percy didn't say anything, and we stayed in tense silence for a few minutes.

"Who did it?"

"Huh?"

"Who cut my tube?"

I winced. "A kid of Hermes. It was Marcus or something."

"Remind me something; when I turn eighteen."

"Okay, what?"

"To kick his ass."

I laughed. "Why wait until you're eighteen."

"They said that's roughly how long it'll take before I never need this crap again."

I smiled, feeling slightly better that in a few years he would be… better. Like, a hundred-percent fully okay.

"How old are you anyway?" I asked.

"Oh, um, fourteen."

"Same here," I said. I couldn't have really told, anyway. He looked malnourished, so he could've been a lot older than I thought.

"But I'm turning fifteen."

"Oh, cool! When?" I said, feeling slightly irritated by the fact that this idiot was a year older than me.

"Upset that I'm going to be superior to you next week?" he said smugly, sitting down. I sat next to him.

"Please shut up."

"No thanks, actually. I'm good."

I sighed, and stared out at the ocean.

"What's that? I asked, pointing at the small figure in the distance. It was shaped as a human, and I frowned. Who in Hades-

Percy squinted. "I dunno what you're talking about, Annabeth."

"There's a man-"

My voice was suddenly interrupted by the voice of Luke from behind me.

"Annie!"

I clenched my fist. "Don't call me Annie, you loser."

"Whatever, Annie," he said. Luke suddenly seemed to notice Percy sitting awkwardly next to me.

"Hey, man. Heard about your tube being cut. Who did it?" he asked, his smirk still on his face.

"Your brother," I snapped. He paled.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He pursed his lips. "We need to raise security. No more scissors," he murmured. "Which brother?" he asked.

"Marcus."

"A or B?"

Percy looked so lost it was funny. I snorted lightly. "'the hell am I supposed to know? Blonde, I can say that."

"Oh, B. I'll deal with him later."

Percy seemed to decide it would be good to speak up. "Uh, hi. I'm Percy, but I guess you know that," he said, sticking his hand out.

Luke took his hand and shook it. He grinned widely, and his scar rippled. "Heya, Percy. Luke Castellan at your service. I'm also known as Klepto by Owl-Head over here."

"Klepto? Owl Head?"

"My dad is the god of thieves," he elaborated. "I was diagnosed with kleptomania, ADHD, and dyslexia as a kid. Cool, huh? I had three different meds. Guess you could say I was a screwed up kid," he said bitterly.

Percy didn't seem to notice. "Um… and Owl Head?"

"Oh, well, Athena's symbol is an owl, and Annabeth… she's got a damn big head."

"I'm, like, right here."

"I see that, Annie."

"FOR THE LOVE OF-"

"Well, I'm sorry I interrupted your little date here, but I gotta run. Later!" he said, laughing as he ran off.

* * *

**So, I'm not really too happy with this either, but I think it's okay. :) I love Luke. **

**Reviews=happy=motivation=chapter. Review! :D**


	4. Birthdays and Gifts

**Okay, confession time. Previous account was EliWarp or IamElisar. I'm not sure if you've seen those stories, but heck, they suck. If you want to bother reading them, go ahead. I'm redoing one of the more popular ones (22,000 views O.o) so expect that in June or July. I dunno :P**

**guest: Get an account! It's free ;)**

**qwertzky: Thank you! :D**

**allen r: Okay, who the hell ships Lukabeth anymore?! xD JK, but seriously. (SPOILER: No Lukabeth - as if that wasn't obvious already)**

**Don't Touch My Seaweed Brain: Oh, I remember sixth grade health class. *shudder* we were separated. Okay, weird story: five people in one ENTIRE GRADE. Three guys. Two girls. (small school). My friend and I were like, "Uh, we're not gonna use those terms." My friend was beet red, and I was just like, 'Uh-duh' (Patrick Moment). The guys were like, "GET AWAY..."**

**You love TFIOS? I feel both happy and sorry for you. When you're finished sobbing your heart out, Youtube 'Vlogbrothers' and watch all 1000+ episodes. WORTH IT.**

**DFTBA.**

* * *

I sat in my cabin, having a complete and utter brain fart.

Today was August the eighteenth, and I had no clue what to do for Percy. It was his birthday. He was fifteen.

"Uggggh," I groaned, slamming my forehead into my desk.

Malcom snickered. "Whaddup, 'Beth?" he asked.

"Berfy's mithtah," I stated, my voice muffled by my hands.

"What?"

"It's Percy's birthday, Malcom!" I snapped, spinning around. "I don't know what to do!"

"Well, he's a son of Poseidon, right?"

I couldn't see where he was going with this. Malcom was a generally unpredictable person. I nodded, eyeing him.

"Get him swim trunks from the camp gift shop."

"_Swim trunks_."

"Duh. He'll love it!"

"For a son of Athena, you are really stupid sometimes, Malcom."

"What? What did I say?"

"Do you think a guy can swim with an oxygen tank?"

"Oh."

"Yeah. _Oh."_

I found Percy talking to the water a few hours later, clutching my gift in my hand.

"…attering as it is, being called 'My lord' is kind of overkill."

A few seconds passed before he continued.

"Uh… No thanks. I'm good."

The water bubbled and Percy turned beat red. "Okay, um, ew. Thanks, but no thanks."

The water bubbled more vigorously this time, and I inched closer.

"Well, no-" "-but that's not the point-" "-I'm flattered-" "-sorry-" "-maybe another time-"

"Okay, what the _hell _are you doing?" I snapped, and Percy spun around.

Percy stuttered a reply. "It's nothing, I swear!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, happy birthday, Seaweed Brain."

Percy looked dumbfounded. "You remembered?" he asked.

"Obviously. It was only a week ago you told me. I don't have the memory span of a fly."

"Oh" was his only reply.

"Well, here's your present. Sorry it sucks, I got it under short notice."

He chuckled at that. "Well… thanks, Wise Girl."

I smiled, and pointed at the silver-wrapped gift. "Open it, then."

"Right!" he exclaimed, taking off some wrapper. "Right."

He continued to open the gift until he reached the actual contents. It was small cardboard box. He gingerly opened the box after seeing the 'fragile' label.

I watched as his expression softened.

In his hand was a replica of Atlantis, a place with structures I had admired for years. I had always been gifted in crafts, so I took my previous blueprints of Atlantis and built a sandstone replica of the lost city. Seashells I has scrubbed up off the sea were glued to the exterior. It may have been small, but it was detailed. I vaguely remember praying to Poseidon for the first time in my life; asking for it not to break. After I had prayed, a light sea scent emitted off the sculpture.

His lack of words worried me.

"Look, I know it's not much, but I wasn't sure-"

Percy forward quickly, and I feared he was attacking me, so my hand went for my knife, but I never got the chance.

Percy gave be the biggest hug he could muster. "Gods, Annabeth. That's fantastic."

I laughed nervously, and gave him a hug back. "Hey, it's no biggie."

"No biggie!" he cried, pulling back. He was beaming at me. "I bet Athena couldn't even do that."

I looked up, no rumble. _Thank the gods._

"Well… it is pretty damn awesome."

* * *

**I just wanted to post something short for you guys. I'm away for three days at Kingston for an SIR program. If you happen to be one of the many students going, PM me and we'll meet up or something :P**

**Reviews=happiness=motivation=update :)**

**-Eli (DFTBA)**


	5. Silena Beauregard Pisses Me Off

**I know it's been a while, guys. Well, not really. Almost a week, but seriously, Kingston was amazing! And, since I got back, I've ordered Vat19 stuff, and a gift for my dad. (CAMERA LENSE MUG! :D I couldn't find anything for him from Kingston :()**

**Guest: First of all, THANK YOU! :D Second of all... TFIOS is a book written by awesome Nerdfighter John Green. (Find him on Youtube as one of the Vlogbrothers. A marathon of all videos is amazing.) TFIOS is about cancer patients who fall in love, and is what this is based off of. The actual name is ****_The Fault In Our Stars_****. I can't say much else besides: GOOGLE IS A FRIEND. But don't go for spoilers! It sucks to be spoiled.**

**Allen r: Can't say much else besides: IKR?!**

**Don't Touch My Seaweed Brain: Well I couldn't flat out say: "_" could I? I'm bound under the John Green TFIOS law NOT to spoil this book for anyone and just let them enjoy it. xD But I see you haven't finished, and that's okay (haha). Just enjoy it. It'll be okay after a while. :)**

**Qwertzkey: Well, thank you! And that was enough to say :D I did have a good time XD**

* * *

Four months, one week, and six days passed after Percy's birthday. Calculate that, and you get New Years.

Percy hated the cold. He retreated to his cabin as much as he could, and was pale as ever when he was exposed to the sun.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, "How the hell is it cold? Doesn't Mr. D-"

Yeah, no. For whatever reason, Mr. D hates Percy the most out of all of us and has decided that he wants to absolutely destroy him. So, the cold. The cold is bad for his breathing, and he ends up wheezing if he's out too long.

Also, Luke and Percy have had a budding bromance for the last few months. They were practically best friends. And I was jealous. I was so jealous that _my _best friend was talking to this new kid more than he was talking to me. And vice versa.

I felt left out, to say the least.

I didn't say anything about it, though. It wasn't too big a deal. Percy was still new here (sort of).

I met up with my two friends at the lake. I had the feeling I was interrupting something serious, but they didn't bring it up. The gears in my head turned, but I ignored it and sat with them.

"Where were you two at dinner?" I asked. "Luke, your cabin was worried. The Stolls had to take over for you."

"Oh, crap. We already had dinner?" he asked me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Just said that."

"They're okay, right?"

Luke was a very caring cabin counselor. He always paid attention to the Hermes cabin's needs. They were kind of the most crowded cabins in camp, mostly filling with undetermined campers who have yet to be claimed. It was kind of sad to watch these kids go through the pain of knowing that they might now be claimed, or worse – being too hopeful about it.

"Yeah, Luke. It's just dinner, they'll live," I said, rolling my eyes at him.

He visibly relaxed. "Okay. Gods, I can't believe I didn't go and see them," he muttered. "I suck."

"Man, it's cool. I'm sure they'll get it. Because… well, you know."

Percy had glanced at me nervously when he said that. Confused, I glared at them.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Luke shook his head. "You wouldn't get it, Annabeth."

I was taken aback. Luke never called me by name unless the situation was serious.

"How do you know I wouldn't?" I retorted.

Percy suddenly stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to go to my cabin. I'll see… I'll see you guys tomorrow."

He tugged his oxygen tank with him, all the way to the camper's cabins, where I could just barely see him walk into his cabin.

"'Sup with Percy?" I asked, sitting next to Luke. He looked down. "It's complicated, kiddo," he said, getting up. "He's… stressed out."

"Why is he stressed out?" I asked. "What's there to be-"

Luke left before I could continue.

I didn't see Percy for the next few days. For what I did see of him, he avoided me as much as possible. Confusion filled me up, but it soon turned into frustration, which I took out on the dummies in the fighting arena. I was completely lost in the fighting, and didn't realize how _aggressive _I was until I kicked the head off the dummy I was beating up.

"What the hell is he keeping from me?" I muttered to myself, before grabbing my water bottle from my bag and taking a sip.

I continued to fight when suddenly… I heard a cold voice. A voice that froze my bones, chilled my blood, and halted my heart.

_They don't love you._

It was like nails on a chalkboard. Knifes on glass. I didn't understand.

"Who's 'they'?" I murmured, slashing my dagger at the dummy once more.

_Join me, daughter of Athena. I will tell you all._

I snarled and stabbed. "Who're you?" I demanded.

_They keep secrets, do they not?_

I hesitated at that. This voice knew about my frustration.

_Your friend has joined me, and as have many others. There are only years to come._

A frown etched itself into my face. I had quite a few friends. Who was this… evil? It was evil. It was gainst the gods.

A chilling laugh curdled my blood. _You know the basis of my intention, girl. Join me. I will make you the wisest, the strongest, the builder. All those that stood in your way will fall to the depths of Tartarus and face the wrath of-_

"Annabeth!"

I dropped my dagger. I saw Percy walking up to me, a grin on his face. As soon as he saw me, he glared. His glare wasn't directed at me, though. He moved quicker towards me, and said, "You look awful."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.

"No, but seriously, 'Beth. You're all pale. What happened?"

I opened my mouth to say, but closed it instead and gave him a harsh glare.

"Oh, so _now _you show interest in me."

His eyebrows scrunched together, and I couldn't help but notice how adorable he was. _What the hell?_

"Huh?"

"You've been ignoring me for the last week, doofus."

Percy flushed scarlet, his puffy face practically turning into a tomato with a mop of grayish hair. "Hey, I was stressed out, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Because…?"

"Annabeth… I'm going to Manhattan for a few weeks."

"So?"

"I have to go to school for a bit."

"And?"

"I haven't gone to school since I was twelve."

I was taken aback. "Seriously?"

He shuffled on his feet. "Well, I wasn't fit to go to school, so I was homeschooled."

"I haven't been since I was seven. You'll be fine, I'm sure."

Percy hesitated for a second, like he was holding back. "Okay. I'll be okay."

"You'll be okay. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Okay. He was hiding something. But that was okay. It was probably some minor family thing.

And that was perfectly okay.

Percy had been gone for three weeks when we got the message that he would be back in a week. I was, needless to say, excited. I found myself smiling as I sparred with some Ares kid. After I nearly slit his throat (won that match), he said,

"Sup with you smile, smart ass? Get the hell off me. You won already."

I had scrambled off, immediately glaring at him. He scampered off with his little weapon and I smirked in spite of myself.

"Oh, I know you like him."

I spun around, to face none other that Silena Beauregard herself.

Silena was probably the sweetest, prettiest (if pretty could suffice for a gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite), kind-hearted, smart daughter of the love goddess that ever lived. He blonde hair shone in the light, her water-blue eyes sparkling with humor.

I was taken aback. "That weirdo?" I said, pointing behind me, in the direction of where the ass I just beat up ran to, "Uh, Silena, as knowledgeable as you are about love… I don't even know his _name_."

She laughed lightly. "Dear, you don't even know yourself!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "You'll see soon enough!"

"What are you even-"

"Perseus Jackson, of course! That chunk of adorable that would be extremely hot had… well, that's not important. The _important _thing is that you are completely in love with him!"

My eyebrows raised, and I gave her a pointed look. "He's my friend."

"For now," she said, smiling at me.

"For always," I corrected, strapping my dagger to my thigh.

"It's so obvious!" Silena exclaimed. "And he likes you too!"

I stopped at that. "Uh, what?"

She smirked at me. "Oh, you like that, don't you?"

"Silena, stop," I muttered, and turned to walk away. She simply laughed and started walking next to me.

"You may not want to admit it yet, Annabeth, but you like him. You so do. And guess what? He feels the same!"

And with that, Silena practically skipped away, her black hair flying behind her.

_Wait, wasn't it blonde before?_

* * *

**Well, not much to say besides: WOW. That was crap. I'm sorry xD**

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**-Your Doctor of Peanuts and Fluffybutts. (AKA Eli) (Who's a chick)**


	6. Percy Admits Stuff

**I wanted to have more angst in this chapter, but I'm not sure if I did well. This is slightly shorter than usual, but I just deleted the rest of the story (from the last chapter on) because I changed my mind on plot. :P Comment replies moved below!**

* * *

_So, my friend told me that Oxygen and Magnesium went on a date, and I was like, "O Mg". Then she told me that Oxygen also went on a date with Potassium and it went O K._

* * *

By the time Percy got back, I could barely look him in the eye. He was pale, sickly pale. It wasn't just because of the weather. He said goodbye to his mom and stepdad, and I caught a quick glance of two kids; a young boy and a little girl. The little girl seemed to sob, and the boy looked distraught.

Percy gave the two kids a hug before he stepped back, allowing them to get back in the car. He waved as the car drove away. He glanced nervously at Camp and I, and he started trudging up the hill. Before he made it very far, I skipped down and grabbed his bag.

"Hey," I started with, shooting him a smile, "How was your month out?"

Percy shook his head. "Later," he mumbled.

His cannula looked disheveled, and _he _looked terrible, so I nodded and we travelled in uncomfortable silence.

* * *

By the time we got to his cabin and got his crap settled in, he sat on his bunk and leaned against the post, tapping the spot next to him. My eyebrows furrowed together, and I sat next to him.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

"Okay," he said, "is way and overstatement."

Worry flooded me, and I sat closer to him. "What happened?" I demanded.

He took in a shaky breath. "I haven't told you everything about my condition."

I felt myself nod. Percy had deemed the subject untouchable. _Please don't remind me,_ he had said.

"I take a drug. It's supposed to be some kind of miracle – Phalanxifor. It lengthens my life quite a bit. I haven't 'recovered' from cancer, I'm just living with stage IV thyroid."

"Stage IV… That's the worst, right?"

"Right."

"You said you had recovered."

"I lied."

I closed my eyes. "You're not done. Are you?"

He shook his head. "I know I'm going to die. I'll be in my twenties, sure, but what demigod dies of something like disease? There's no glory in dying of disease, Annabeth Fredrick Chase. I am a depressed to-be sixteen-year-old and god-dammit! I had a life to live. I could've been a hero. Now… Tyson and Andrea won't have their older brother. My mom… I don't even want to know.

"I need a BiPAP, too – had a nasty attack at night, so they're going to install one here. My fatal flaw could be Hamartia and Loyalty – Hamartia by me, Loyalty courtesy of A-"

He stopped himself and took a deep breath. "I'd always thought the world was a wish-granting factory. I always thought that if I prayed – back when I believed in a God and went to church and a support group in the 'Literal Heart of Jesus', I _prayed _that I'd wake up and this was all a dream. It wasn't.

"I'm rambling now, but I don't give a fuck.

"There's one thing I fear – Oblivion. There will come a time when all of us are dead. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Hercules or Aristotle or Zeus, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe this time is coming soon and maybe it's millions of years away, but even if we ever survive the collapse of the gods, we will not survive forever. There was a time before the gods and before anything ever experienced consciousness and there will be a time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you like it worries me, I encourage you to ignore it. Zeus knows that everyone else does.

"I think my school friends wanted to help me through my cancer, but they eventually found out that they couldn't. For one thing, there was no through. I was stuck. I had to leave them behind. I was homeschooled. I suffered with depression. I wished for death. Even then…" he whispered the next bit so quiet I could barely hear him, "… The world had yet to grant one wish for me.

"There's this thing about pain, Annabeth," he murmured, and I could tell he was falling asleep, so I lay him down, careful to avoid his cannula. "It demands to be felt. But if there's one wish I had, it would be someone who genuinely cared enough to respect my wishes, not romanticize my situation. Someone who could… ease the pain."

"Percy, I don't know what to tell you," I said, running my fingers through his hair. My friend was in a deep hole and I didn't know how to help him.

"How about 'Uh, Seaweed Brain, you're welcome,'."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Annabeth, thanks for fulfilling my wish."

Percy fell asleep after that.

* * *

**Please let me know how I did! I need feedback to improve! :)**

**Don't Touch my Seaweed Brain: Soon, the world will fall back into place. It's okay :) But John Green is an amazing writer! Check out Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns!**

**LollyPops101: What were you confused about? Haha, is it Percy's weirdness? Because THAT was explained.**

**Allen R: XD Well, Rick can't seem to make up his mind either! One book she's blonde, the other she's brunette. I just decided that she had look changing powers ;)**

**I decided that I'd give you all a nerdy joke at the top, and will do for every chapter or story or whatever. :P**

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	7. Aphrodite's Rite of Passage

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* * *

_Two chemists walk into a bar. The first asks, "I'd like some H2O." The second asks, "I'd like some H2O, too." The second guys died._

* * *

Percy and I hung out more closely after that. But…

There was still that flare of jealousy that I felt when I watched Ally from the Aphrodite cabin talking to him.

Ally was admittedly drop-dead gorgeous and rich. She was as nice as you could get in comparison to Silena, and was pretty new to camp.

But I didn't trust her around Percy one bit.

I _knew _what she was doing – flirting, trying to get him interested, just so she could dump him and break his heart. It was Aphrodite Cabin tradition, but I knew that Silena opposed. The only reason I think she opposed was because of her first and current boyfriend, Charles Beckendorf (but we just stick to Beckendorf).

Anyway, I may not have trusted her with my friend's emotions, but I happened to realize that I like Percy, and this girl chatting him up like he was Ryan Gosling was so not cool. I caught her eye and shook my head no. Ally completely ignored me and laughed at something that Percy said.

I moved closer, just to hear Percy say, "You know, we should hang out some time."

Ally beamed at him. "Sure! When are you thinking?" she asked him, her melodic voice calming me slightly, but I still snarled from behind my tree.

"How about after dinner at the beach tomorrow?" he suggested, shoving his hands into his pockets, and I could sense his nervousness.

"I'll see you then," she said flirtatiously, giving him a kiss on the cheek and skipping away.

I moved away from Percy, but not fast enough to miss his wide smile. I felt so horrible – because this girl was making him happy only to dump him later.

I headed to the Aphrodite cabin, but caught up to Ally on the way.

"I know what you're doing."

She stopped in her tracks, and turned to me. "Oh yeah?" she said nervously. "What would that be?"

"It's Aphrodite tradition, right? Picking the 'right guy' and breaking his heart," I spat. "That's what you're doing with Percy."

"I am not!" she defended, but I could sense the lie. She tensed and folded her arms over her chest.

"Don't even try me, Ally. I know your game."

She sighed, defeated. "Okay, yeah, I am. But, like, I have to! I can't disappoint mom… Also, I don't want to hurt Percy."

"The simple option is not to."

"Annabeth, wouldn't you do anything to please your mother?" she pressed, looking me right in the eye. "You're the daughter of the wisdom goddess; she's strict as a parent can get. Don't you strive to impress her?"

I hesitated, but nodded. "I do."

"Then do you get where I'm coming from?"

"Yes. But-"

"Percy will get over it."

"_But._ Not if it involves hurting someone," I snapped.

Ally fingered a strand of hair, and looked down. "Look, like I said before; I don't want to do this. It's not like I have an easy choice. And besides, Percy will get over it. There are other girls."

She looked at me and a small smile stretched over her face. "Even if he doesn't know it yet."

And with that, she left to her cabin.

* * *

_What the hell is up with Aphrodite girls talking to me and skipping off with foreshadowing words?_

* * *

I knocked on Percy's door that evening and waited for him to answer patiently. I heard a loud groan. "WHO COMES TO MY DOOR AT THIS HOUR?!" he yelled dramatically, voice muffled by the door and (possibly) his pillow.

"Annabeth fucking Chase. Open up, loser," I said, smirking at the door as I heard him mutter a curse and move to open the door.

When Percy opened the door, he was in ducky pajamas. Well, pajama. He was in the ducky shirt, but ditched the pants and wore boxers.

"You could've put pants on," I suggested, pointing at a pair on the floor. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and waved it off, opening the door wider and allowing me to come in.

He told me to have a seat ("Cause a pretty girl like you should have her ass cushioned."), which I did. "What do you _need _Annabeth? I need my beauty sleep."

"For your date tomorrow?" I teased, but the tension was clear. Percy looked taken aback.

"How did you…?"

"This is camp, idiot. News flies like a wasp here."

"Oh."

I smiled at his obliviousness. It was endearing at times.

"Well, that's why I'm here, actually."

Percy suddenly became more alert and raised an eyebrow at me jokingly. "Jelly, Annie?"

I clenched my teeth. "Don't go on the date."

A long pause elapsed before Percy said, "Haha, that's pretty funny, Annabeth."

"I'm not kidding."

Percy's previously nervous face contorted into confusion.

"But why?" he asked, obviously lost.

I hesitated. "Ally's a daughter of Aphrodite, they have this awful tradition where they, well, they pick a person they kinda like, and date them, before breaking their hearts."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe one word of that," he retorted.

"Why would I lie about this?" I hissed, already getting irritated.

"I don't know, Annabeth, but Ally wouldn't do that!"

"Why wouldn't she? It's part of her cabin's tradition! It's Aphrodite's Rite of Passage!"

Percy suddenly looked really angry. "Annabeth, just leave. I do not want to bother with you right now."

Tears stung my eyes. "I'm trying to help you, Seaweed Brain! You're going to fall in love with her, and she'll dump you for some Apollo kid!"

"I know people, Annabeth! You're not the only one with a brain. Just… just get the hell out. I don't want to see you right now."

I stood my ground. "Percy, I care about you. I don't want you to fall into some kind of depression. You're already susceptible enough to it!"

Percy put his head in his hands, and I realized that that was the wrong thing to say. I got up and sat next to him. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Get. Out."

I flinched. "Fine. When you realize that she's no good, just wait for me to say I told you so."

* * *

**I hope you guys like where this story is going! I really love this story anyway :)**

**Lollypops101: Thanks! (OOH. Okay. Yeah, in the books I was confused too xD I explained it to Allen R in the last chapter. :))**

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	8. Of Heartbreaks and Aches and Curses

**I know I already updated today, but I'm really bored, so you get two in one! :D **

**This is going to be really short; it's just a filler that I wrote up.**

* * *

_Argon walks into a bar. The bartender yells, "We don't serve noble gases here!" Argon... doesn't react._

* * *

Percy deliberately avoided me for the next month, and I was absolutely devastated. My friend didn't believe me, and he sure was having fun with Ally.

Admittedly, Percy was happier than he had been in weeks. He laughed more with Ally than he ever did with Luke or I. He didn't look anything like the moody son of the Sea God that I thought I knew.

So, _obviously_, I decided to spy on his latest date with her at the beach.

I was ready to believe that Ally didn't want to dump him, that she genuinely loved him like he did her.

I hid, my invisibility cap on, as I observed them stand in front of the glassy waters of the sea.

Percy was gazing at the water intensely, concentration evident in his face. Suddenly, the water shot up, spinning in a spiral, and Ally gasped in shock, and I contained my shock.

Percy had never been strong enough to do that himself. Now that he had done it for _Ally_… My jealousy struck my heart. Okay, so maybe I had fallen in love with Percy a little myself. Who couldn't?

The water weaved through her hair, but didn't wet it, and she laughed joyfully. The water retreated to the sea, and comfortable silence passed between the two.

I suddenly pictured _myself_ with him, him holding _my _hand and trying new things for _me._

I blinked rapidly to avoid tears. I hated tears. They were signs of weakness. But I heard it was good to cry. So I'd save my tears for a real tragedy.

"I love you."

Percy's voice cut through the air, and Ally went pale.

"I'm in love with you, Ally. You don't need to say it back, if you're not ready or anything, but I am.

Ally let go of his hand quickly.

"Percy," she said, urgency in her voice. "When did you last speak to Annabeth?"

Percy's face twisted into confusion. "What? What does that have to-"

"Just tell me!"

His eyes turned sad. "A month ago."

"And she said?"

"That you'd only break my heart or whatever. Aphrodite's rite of passage…"

He looked at her, and he looked horrified. "No."

"I'm so sorry, Percy. I really am, I didn't want to-"

"I can't believe that Annabeth was right," he said hollowly.

"I had to, Percy."

"I can't believe… that you _let _her be right."

"I'm so sorry, Percy."

Ally had tears streaming down her face. Percy suddenly laughed bitterly, and I could see the maniac in him show. "Oh, sorry? Okay, sure. "I'm SO sorry that I did something I could choose to do! I'm sorry that I picked you! You obviously didn't have a SHIT enough life for me to pick you! I'm sorry I couldn't tell you!" Sorry my ass, Allison."

"Percy Jackson! I did this for my mother! I had to! So she could be proud of me like she is Silena."

"Did Silena… Did she do this too?"

Ally seemed to realize the flaw in her excuse as her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Get the fuck away from me. Tell Aphrodite that she should be happy."

Ally reached out, as if to touch him. "Percy…"

"_Go!"_ he snapped.

So Ally left.

* * *

Percy sat with me, in front of ocean, and I held him as he cursed and yelled. I listened to him scream at the gods and curse Aphrodite. He cursed himself for not believing me, for not trusting what I said because _I _was the smart one in our relationship. He cursed Ally for playing with his emotions and making him so gods-damned miserable. _That bitch! I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!_

But no matter what… I never said 'I told you so', like I had promised him initially.

* * *

**Allen R: I know, I'm such an evil human being, no? xD**

**Lollypops101: :P Soon enough, dear Lollypops101. Soon enough. xD**

**Review! I update faster. (Not like this, though. I'm just SICK - with throat pain, a runny nose, and stomach ache, yay- AND BORED AS HELL.)**

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	9. Story Time and Home

**This was six pages and over two thousand words, which is the longest thing for a Fanfic chapter I've ever written. I hope you enjoy! I loved writing this. **

**Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

_Twenty-five dollars can supply someone in a third-world country with water for the rest of their life. But here, twenty-five dollars will by THREE BOTTLES OF WATER AT A THEATRE OR HOTEL. WTF._

* * *

If there's one thing I learned about Percy Jackson, it was that he was probably the easiest person to guilt in the history of ever. Must have something to do with his Loyalty.

(I vaguely remembered him say that 'Ah' told him that that was his fatal flaw. Whoever 'Ah' is, I probably wouldn't know.)

I sat with him in the arena as we talked about nonsense and nothings, just enjoying each other's presence. He looked at me and smirked, saying a joke I can no longer remember. I snickered and told him he was a Kelp Head. He smiled at me, some light returning to his eyes after the Ally incident a week ago.

We quieted for a moment. "Wanna get out of here?" he asked me.

My eyebrows scrunched together. "Huh?" I said, rather intelligently, might I add.

"Out of camp. Just for a while," he promised.

I hesitated. I hadn't left camp since I was seven. Years and years and years had passed. Almost eight.

"I don't know Percy. What about monsters?" I inquired. If Percy was attacked, he would die. I knew it.

"Annabeth… Monsters won't attack when I'm around, I swear."

I remembered that since he was sick, monsters didn't bother around him.

"Pwease? _Pweeaaase _Annabwef?

I groaned. "You're impossible."

"Is that a yes?" he asked me.

"Duh."

"YES!" he said excitedly, and since he was so excited, I couldn't help but be excited too.

* * *

After a long conversation with Chiron and Mr. D, we finally managed to convince them to let us leave for a few days.

I packed my bags and left the cabin to Malcom, giving him the list of things he'd have to take over from me.

"Holy shit, Annabeth. This is a lot of stuff," he moaned.

I rolled my eyes. "Malcom, it's only Ancient Greek, crafts, and dagger fighting."

"I don't even fight with a dagger!" he exclaimed.

I sighed. "Fine, just cancel those classes for the next week," I told him, grabbing my bag and readying myself to leave.

"Annabeth…"

"Yeah?" I said, looking back at him.

"Be careful while you're in Manhattan, okay?"

I smiled at him. "I'll do that, Malcom. See you in a week."

* * *

I was shaking as I got onto the vehicle that would take us to Manhattan, Percy's hometown. Percy happened to notice my anxiety, and said, "Hey, you okay, Annabeth? You look pretty shaken up."

I nodded my head. "Oh, I'm fine, just a bit nervous."

He held in laughter and let out a snort. "A _little _nervous? You look like you saw Medusa."

I glared at him. "Hey, this is my first time leaving camp in a _long _time, okay? Lay off."

He smirked at me, and leaned back in his seat, and in that moment, he looked perfectly content, as if he was never plagued by cancer tumors in his lungs. He looked relaxed, and excited to go to his home.

I looked at Argus, our hundred-eyed chaperone. "How long? 'Till we arrive there?"

He held up three fingers. "Three hours?" I suggested, and he shook his head. "Three days?"

He brought his hand down, signaling that I was going too high. "A half hour?"

Argus nodded. The only reason he didn't speak – well, it was a rumor, but it was all we had – was because he had an eyeball on his tongue that he didn't want to show.

So we sat back, and I asked Percy about how it was at his house, just out of curiosity. Percy smiled brightly and went on about his family, mostly.

"Well, my mom married this English teacher named Paul when I was three, so I never had a grudge against him. He was always my father figure, anyway. Nearly a year later, my little brother was born. Tyson's turning twelve in July, I think. We never had that huge an age gap – four years. We were pretty close, I guess. My little sister's five, so that makes _our _age gap over ten years. She's so awesome, y'know? But she isn't an angel like you'd think. She's the she-devil of the household. I have no idea where the hell she got those genes; my mom's as nice as they get. We also have a little bunny my sister named Princess Bubblegum."

"Princess Bubblegum?" I questioned.

Percy gaped at me. "You know, from Adventure Time?"

"What's Adventure Time?"

Percy looked at me like I had grown a second head (that happened to be bright purple with polka-dots). "I don't know you."

I laughed lightly. "You have to introduce me to this Adventure Time thing."

"I shall."

"So…" I started. "Home life seems great."

"It is," he sighed. "My brother and step-dad are pretty supportive about the Greek mythology, but they don't care that my dad is Poseidon or whatever. All they care about is the fact that I'm alive."

"That's amazing," I told him.

"Mm..." He said. "We're almost there."

* * *

We were in a neighborhood in Manhattan when we stopped in front of a house. It wasn't huge; it was an average house with a beige brick exterior and a little tree up front. The driveway was stone, and it had a two-door garage. There was a nice little garden where blue flowers and blue roses lined the path to the whitewood door. The door had a plaque that had _Home Is Where the Heart Is _engraved in cursive words, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes.

"We're paying my family a surprise visit, just for a day. Is that okay?" he asked me.

"Of course! I'd love to meet your family."

We thanked Argus and took our bags, walking up the steps to the front door.

Percy was grinning ear to ear as he dragged his tank to the door, giving three raps to the wood.

Moments later, the door opened and a preteen with brown hair and bright blue eyes stood, greeting them.

"Holy crap- Percy!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, Tyson," Percy said, giving Tyson a small hug.

"MOM. PERCY'S HEEEEEERE."

A little girl with the same frizzy brown hair but brown eyes ran into the picture. "PERCY!" she squealed.

"Hey, Lizzy! How's PB?" he asked.

"Great! She misses you!"

Percy looked at me, and gestured inside. I hesitated, but followed him in.

Their home was comforting. Warm colors splashed the walls, and home pictures, like Percy before the cancer and Sally as a kid, lined the walls in a surplus. Percy looked perfectly at home.

A woman walked out of I assumed to be the living room. "Oh, Percy! How are you? Who's this?"

"I'm good, and this is my friend, Annabeth."

"It's a pleasure, Annabeth," his mom said, shaking my hand. "I'm Sally Blofis."

* * *

Their entire house was covered with things like that plaque on the door. _Good Friends Are Hard to Find and Impossible to Forget _read an illustration above the coatrack. _True Love Is Born From Hard Times _promised a needlepoint pillow in their antique-furnished living room. Percy caught me (struggling) reading. "My parents call them Encouragements," he explained. "They're everywhere."

* * *

His parents called him Perce, even though his real name was Perseus and most people called him Percy. His mom was making enchiladas in the kitchen – my satyr friend Grover comes to mind. (A piece of stained glass by the sink read in bubbly letters _Family is Forever.)_ His mom was putting chicken into tortillas, which Paul then rolled up and placed in a glass pan. They weren't too shocked by my arrival, which made sense: The fact that Percy made me feel special didn't mean that I _was _special.

Paul hadn't met me before, so he glanced at Percy.

"This is Annabeth Chase," he said, by way of introduction.

"Just Annabeth."

"How's it going, Annabeth?" he asked. He was tall with salt and pepper hair and a kind smile.

"Okay," I said.

"That's great," he said. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Percy nodded. "We will be."

"Alright, it'll be done in an hour. Go enjoy yourselves for a while and we'll call you guys up."

"Sweet!" he said. Percy told me his room was in the basement, and that it was _the _basement, so I followed him down there.

I followed him down the stairs to the huge basement bedroom. A shelf caught my eye, stretching all the way around the room, stuffed solid with basketball memorabilia: dozens of trophies with plastic men mid-jump shot or reaching for a layup toward an unseen basket. There were also lots of signed balls and sneakers.

"Used to play basketball," he said with a shrug, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You must've been pretty good."

"I wasn't bad, but the shoes and stuff are Cancer Perks; advantages I have because I'm plagued by this disease. Anyway, I was like, the prototypical 'Rich White Kid' in New York," he said. "I was all about resurrecting the lost art of the midrange jumper, but one day I was just shooting free throws at our local court when I suddenly couldn't figure out what I was doing; putting this ball through this hoop. It seemed like the stupidest thing I could possibly be doing.

"I thought about those little kids that put the cylinder in a circle and just did it over and over again after they figured out how to do it. I thought about how basketball was just a slightly more aerobic version of the same little game. And for the longest time, I just kept sinking free throws and I started to feel more and more like a two-year-old."

He sat on the edge of his bed and looked at me. He snickered, and looked away at his trophies. In that moment I realized my mouth had been agape and shut it quickly. Percy had never stricken me as a person to have complex thoughts like that.

"Wow."

"I have my moments."

"So… this was before your diagnosis?"

He snorted. "No way. I was nine when I was diagnosed. I was about… eleven. Yeah, eleven. Or twelve. Maybe thirteen. I dunno."

I nodded. "So, um… tell me your story in some detail. I'm curious."

He looked surprised at my request, but shrugged nonetheless. "M'kay," he said, shrugging.

"I was diagnosed with stage IV thyroid cancer when I was nine. It was, we were told, incurable.

"I had a surgery called _radical neck dissection, _which is about as unpleasant as it sounds. Then radiation. They tried some chemo for my lung tumors, which shrank, and grew. My lungs started to fill with water. I was looked pretty dead – my hands and feet ballooned; skin cracked; lips perpetually blue. They've got this drug that makes you feel not so terrified about the fact that you can't breathe, and I had a lot of it flowing through me through a PICC line, and more than a dozen drugs besides. But even so, there was a certain unpleasantness to drowning, especially when it took place over the course of a few months. I finally ended up in the ICU with pneumonia, and my mom knelt by the side of my bed and said, "Are you ready, sweetie?" and I told her eye was ready, and Paul told me he was proud of me and stuff. I couldn't breath, and my lungs were desperate, gasping, pulling m out of the bed to find a position that could get those desperate bastards some air. I was disgusted that they wouldn't just let go, and I remember my mom telling me that it was okay, that I was okay, that I would be okay, and my brother was trying hard not to sob – which he did – and I remember not wanting to be awake.

"Everyone figured I was finished, but my Cancer Doctor Maria managed to get some of the fluid out of my lungs, and soon enough later the pneumonia meds kicked in.

"I woke up and quickly got into one of those experimental trials that are populous in the Republic of Cancervania for Not Working. The drug was Phalanxifor, this molecule designed to attach to the Cancer cells and slow their growth or whatever. It didn't work on about 70 percent of people. But it worked on me. The tumors shrank.

"And they stayed shrunk. Huzzah, Phalanxifor! In the past three years, my mets have hardly grown, leaving me with lungs that plainly suck at being lungs and could, conceivably, struggle along indefinitely with the help of drizzled oxygen and daily Phalanxifor."

He finished, and I had to rub my temples. That was a lot to take in.

"Holy crap."

"Holy crap indeed."

A silence passed, and I broke it with, "How'd your siblings take the news of you being okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, the fact that their brother would keep living? Pretty well, actually."

I laughed. "You're ridiculous."

"Thank you."

"Anyway, when's dinner ready?" I asked.

"I dunno – MOM, IS DINNER READY?"

"YES, DEAR, COME UP. THE TABLE'S SET."

"AWESOME – yes to your question. Allons-y."

* * *

**So, I was actually really happy with how this turned out! This is actually where I start stealing from TFIOS, lol. All rights to John Green xD**

**Allen R: I hope you keep reading! I promise the story will be happy at points, but sad at others. Gotta contrast. This is going to be pretty long, the way I plan it. There are going to be MANY HAPPY CHAPTERS. This was kinda happy, if you took out his cancer story. Otherwise, there is more to come! STAND BY ME, MY FRIEND.**

**Mini-Storyteller: Thanks! I try!**

**Still sick with fever and cold. GODDAMMIT COMMON COLD. (But seriously, science has created a cure for so many freaking complex diseases, but the COMMON COLD HAS NO DEFINITE CURE. WHAT THE HELL.)**

**REVIEW! It motivates me. And it's easy! :D**


	10. Of Eavesdropping, Books, And Food

**-Crawls out of hole- Heeeey guys! Sorry about the really long and uncalled for hiatus. I'm so sorry :( Good news, though! I got a 98% on my math and a 93 on my English! :D**

**I promise I won't do that whole long-ass hiatus without letting you know first. I'm really sorry you guys D:**

* * *

The dinner with the Jackson's was considerably pleasant.

For one, unlike in my own dysfunctional family of five back in Virginia, there was no significant or obvious tense silence as we ate. In fact, the only silence was the awkward one when Paul asked Percy if we were dating.

Percy's amazingly articulacy showed that his response was, "Um… no."

Other than that, though, we were completely fine with talking. Percy's parents asked me a bunch of questions that I was happy with answering.

I learned some new things about Percy, too. In the month that he was gone, he made friends with this girl, Rachel, whom his parents managed to mention here and there, turning Percy a light red.

I tried not to pay attention to that.

After dinner was over, Percy asked if I wanted to come downstairs with him to his room again to play some game called "Prince of Dawn". It involved him constantly committing suicide to save me from harm.

"It's a heroic suicide," he explained.

"But you don't _need _to," I said, glancing at him as I horribly played, my fingers fumbling over the controller.

"But I want to," he said.

Secretly, I was glad.

* * *

I was sentenced to the guest bedroom for the night, because sleeping in the same room as Percy did not go by his parents as easily as he thought it would.

I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I could not sleep. This was one of the few times I had ever slept in something that wasn't a bunk in camp, and it was hard. Camp was my only home that felt real.

I feared sleeping would cause the nightmares again, nightmares of prophecies and spiders. Gods, the spiders would be the death of me for sure.

I jumped at the creek of the door, but no one entered. I frowned, and heard voices. Percy's parents. They didn't come in, but they sure as hell were whispering, and I eavesdropped shamelessly.

"… Weaker than usual," Sally said.

"We can't… prematurely… cancer… meeting."

My breath hitched, and I moved closer to hear better."

"… Worried about Percy," Sally said, choking out the words.

"We'll take him for a PET scan," Paul promised. "Then we'll see."

"I'm just worried that I won't be a mother anymore," Sally said, and I could hear her shaking.

"It's alright. Lizzy and Tyson will be there," he muttered to her.

"That's not what I mean. What if something's wrong? What if… what if he has to do chemo again?" She inhaled. "What if he thinks we're forcing him into more pain?"

"Percy has more sense than that. Besides, he's much stronger than he looks. Also, we're think way into the future here, Sal. He might just be tired."

It hung in the air, his words. Sally muttered something indistinguishable, and they shuffled away.

Even with his suggestion, the worry remained –

_Percy could be in some deep shit._

* * *

In the morning, everything was silent. Percy noticed the eerie silence that hung in the air and pointed it out. "Did anything happen between you three?"

I scoffed. "What are you talking about, Seaweed Brain? You know I'm not a morning person."

"Oh, I've discovered that multiple times. I swear, if I could run, my shoulder wouldn't have kissed your fist so many times."

I began laughing at that, and sat at the table in front of Percy, but next to Lizzy and Tyson.

"You're an idiot," I decided, still laughing when Sally put the pile of pancakes in front of us.

"Pancakes!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Actually, their time bombs. If you stick your fork in there, it explodes, killing us all."

In the time between Percy saying this and his siblings hesitating, he, Percy, grabbed the top pancake and put it on his plate.

"Losers," he laughed, not even taking a bite.

After we had all gotten our pancakes, we began to eat; all except Percy, who simply moved his food around, talking with everyone.

The pancakes were blue and delicious. Why wasn't he eating?

I realized I had never paid attention to Percy's eating habits. I was never able to sit with him at mealtime back at camp, so I never noticed.

Sally seemed to notice, too. Everyone did, looking at Percy every once in a while.

"Why don't you take a bite, Percy? I made it blue, just how you like it," she offered, taking a bite of her own pancake.

"I'm, uh, not that hungry, to be honest," he muttered, barely sipping any water from his glass.

"Oh, come on, Perce! You never eat," Tyson whined. "At least give me the pancake."

Percy looked irritated, but said nothing. "Okay." He moved his plate towards Tyson to push the remains of his mutilated pancake away, but his mother stopped him.

"Percy, _please_, try," his mother urged.

Percy glanced at me, and I looked down, eating my food and trying to look casual.

"Mom…"

"Percy, you need to try," she said firmly.

I looked up to see Percy white. He took his fork and stabbed a piece, putting it in his mouth. He chewed, and it looked like it was torture.

Swallowing looked like a pain.

"Are you okay?" Sally asked, worried for her son.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered. "Perfectly, wonderfully fine."

* * *

I looked at Percy's bookshelf. Apparently, dyslexia wasn't a problem, because it was riddled with books.

Okay, most of it was manga and graphic novels and a few novellas, but there were a few legitimate books, like a series called, "Max Mayhem".

There was one book on his bedside table; doggy eared on a certain page,

"What's that one?" I asked, pointing at the crème colored book with fancy script on the front.

"Oh, that? That's _An Imperial Affliction _by Peter Van Houten," he said. "Really good so far, hospital bud suggested it a while back. Picked it up while I was on vacation from camp."

"Oh. What's it about?" I asked.

"Well, I'm almost done, but _An Imperial Affliction_ is about a girl named Anna who has this rare blood cancer. So, she's talking about her life with her disease. She struggles with it, but despites this, sets up a charity."

"To help people with cancer?"

Percy smirked. "The foundation was called: The Anna Foundation for People With Cancer Who Want To Cure Cholera."

I frowned. "What?"

"That's the cool thing: She didn't make a cancer foundation. But there's a shit load of metaphors and symbolism. Plus, there's this Dutch tulip man and her mother and it's really confusing. I'm almost done. She's in a hospital, which sucks."

"Oh. Do you think she'll die or something?"

"Probably. It's her last words I'm looking forward to, though," he said, grinning. "Anna's so literate, it'll be cool to see what she says."

"Maybe I'll have to pick it up?" I suggested, smiling.

"Totally, I'll give you my copy, too," he said with a grin. "But you better give it back."

"I will, I promise," I said. "You know… You never struck me as a reader."

He snorted. "Are you _questioning _my intelligence?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe."

"I mostly read because those books have pictures," he said, pointing to his shelf. "Plus, Max Mayhem's so cool."

"Maybe I'll read those, too."

"Maybe you will."

* * *

**Lollypops101: Well, the fluid isn't really ****_water_****. I like to think it's this mutilated infected water he can't control. And I can't spoil my plans! x)**

**GeekyKiki: Thank you! :D**

**Tori: Well, I've updated! :P Thank you, though :D**

**Calypso Jackson: Haha, I agree! I can't read TFiOS fanfiction because TFiOS is over, and that's the same reason why I can't write Harry Potter Fanfiction, it's perfect the way it is. Which is why I'll probably stop with PJO fanfiction in Oct. 2014. (Thank you so much :D)**

**Allen R: Listed under Angst for a reason, my friend. :P**

**ElmoDaHorse: Thank you! Motivation taken :D:D I try to be original.**

**Guest: T-T**

**Guest: Yeah, that's exactly what I did :D But Augustus's sister's kids were replaced by his siblings.**

**Guest: Thank you! :D**

**Review, and I shall be happy. When I am happy, I shall write. And when I write, I update. :D**


	11. Improve Everwhere

**So, if you've seen this video, then you'll understand it a bit better. Watch it before, after, during, I don't care, but this is what you use:**

**watch?v=Fs_R-i-NYLY**

**Or just look up MP3 Experiment Ten by ImprovEverywhere. It's really cool.**

* * *

Percy told me that we were invited to an event, which was taking place in Manhattan. I glanced at him. "What event?"

"It this pretty cool thing that happens every year… It's hard to explain, but I want you to participate with me," he said, grinning.

"Okay?"

"Sweet! Let me just get mine and Tyson's iPods…" he muttered, searching his drawers in a flurry.

"What? IPods?"

He stopped searching and looked at me. "Please tell me you know what an iPod is."

"Uh…"

"Why do I even try?" he said, laughing. "It's an event called the MP3 experiment. It's the tenth anniversary, and we'll be taking place. Today in particular, is great."

"Why today?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You really don't remember?" he asked, grabbing two small devices with a pair of headphones.

"No."

"What day is it, Annie?" he asked, grabbing two red pieces of cloth and putting them in a bag.

"Um, July 18th-" Annabeth stopped herself and groaned. "Did I really-"

"Forget?" Percy suggested. "Yeah, but I don't blame you. It's okay."

"Shit! How did I forget the first day we met?"

"It's been two years; it's no biggie," he said with a shrug, adjusting his cannula. He grabbed two dollar bills and placed them in his bag. He also grabbed two "I Love NYC!" shirts, tossing one to me. "Put that on!" he said, taking his cannula off briefly to put his on.

While slipping the large shirt over my attire, I said, "Why?"

"Just trust me, Annabeth. It'll be fun."

"Fine," I muttered.

Percy checked the time. "Shit! Come on, we'll be late!"

He managed to toss me the iPod, telling me to press "MP3 10" at exactly 3:00 P.M.

We ran up the stairs (well, I ran, he merely walked as fast as he could), to the front door where Mrs. Jackson ushered us into the car.

Then, we drove.

* * *

It didn't take too long to arrive at South Street Seaport, Pier 15.

Percy told me to slip on the headphones, and Mrs. Jackson said she'd pick us up later.

I looked around, seeing hundreds of others, also wearing headphones, checking the time.

Percy looked excited, and promised me that what was about to happen would be amazing.

I checked the time. 2:57.

I opened up the folder and took some time to find the proper MP3 file.

"MP3 10".

I checked the time again. 3:00.

I pressed play, and immediately heard a deep, obviously auto tuned voice.

_Welcome to the MP3 Experiment 10. My name is Steve, and I'll be your omnipotent voice today!_

_Follow my instructions and we'll all have a pleasant time together._

I glanced at Percy, and he grinned, flashing me a thumbs up.

_When I say go, I want everyone to crawl on the ground._

I heard laughter around me, and couldn't help but let out a small laugh myself.

_Okay, ready? Go._

For the next ten minutes, Percy and I crawled, and albeit feeling like an idiot, watching others be idiots was comforting, too.

People glanced at us, laughing in amusement, but a lot of people glanced at Percy in particular. He didn't seem to care.

_I want everyone to stop crawling, and everyone must lie down on the ground, on your back._

Percy and I fell back, laughing. I muttered to him, "This better get better, Percy. I want excitement!"

He merely grinned. People all around us were filming. A guy was looked at me in particular, and he practically _reeked _douchebag.

He gave me the "call me!" signal, and I flipped him off, Percy snickered next to me.

The voice spoke again.

_Get up! I want you to stand behind a stranger who is not wearing headphones and follow their every move._

Percy and I got up, quickly moving behind a man as he filmed things with his cell phone. Everyone followed him around, making the same gestures as him, and he seemed totally cool with it. He even laughed when he noticed.

I looked around. Some strangers were dancing, while people with headphones danced with him in unison. Some flapped their arms like birds. It was a real sight.

_Take out your dollar bill now._

Percy took out two, handing me one.

_Find a new random stranger and give them a dollar bill._

I grabbed Percy's hand, laughing as I dragged him to a girl sitting with her friend as she was given dozens and dozens of dollar bills. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she laughed, shoving the handful in her bag as more came to her.

_Start walking now to the wooden area. _

Once we reached the area, I looked around, breathless. Thousands of people all around us, participating in such a _cool_ activity. I glanced at Percy, who awkwardly held my hand, smiling.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain."

"Anytime, Wise girl."

He looked breathless from all this standing, and leaned against me for support.

_In a minute, I want us all to jump up in a wave. We will start with the people sitting closest to the fodder, and move like a wave, all the way down the crowd to the people closest to the street._

Everyone crouched down in anticipation as the count down took place.

_1_

_2_

_3_

_Go!_

I could hear the cheering as people began to jump, and I could only imagine what this looked like from above.

It took a few seconds before the wave reached us, and we jumped, laughing joyously. The crowd began high-fiving, yelling things like, "That was awesome!"

"It isn't over yet," Percy told me. "They usually last longer."

_Great job everyone. Take your nametag paper and fold it into a paper airplane now._

I glanced at Percy, who handed me a pre-folded paper airplane with my name printed in blue marker. He pulled out his own, holding it.

_Ready? One, two, three - throw!_

A mass of paper airplanes began flying all over the place, and the voice said to keep throwing whatever lands near you. We continued to throw and throw and throw, watching these pieces of paper fly. It was probably an amazing sight from the buildings that surrounded us. I was throwing tons of planes.

"32!" I yelled, laughing.

"What?" Percy asked, looking at me.

"I threw thirty planes!" I said, grinning. He fist bumped me in response, smirking.

_Take out your red fabric item from your bag._

Percy handed me a red bandana, grabbing his own, I reached up to put it on, when-

_Now flap your red item in the air and wave it like a flag. I want to see as much red flag in the air as possible!_

People cheered, waving their red in the air. Percy and I grinned like idiots, calling out our occasional cry of joy.

_Get ready to toss your red item in the air on three._

_One,_

_Two,_

_Three,_

_Toss!_

We all threw our red in the air, cheering. We kept grabbing more, throwing more, and laughing more.

_Take your bubbles out and prepare to blow._

Percy grinned and pulled out two of those oversized bubble blowers, handing me one. We dipped it in the mix. When given the cue, we waved them in the air, watching the thousands of bubbles fly. It was so cool, watching the light refract against the bubbles, showing greens and purples and pinks in the air.

_Thanks to everyone who participated today, and in all of our experiments for the past ten years. It's now time for me to say goodbye._

It was coming to the end, and that was disappointing, but there was always next year, right?

_Look up at the sky, and on my cue, wave and yell goodbye._

_1,_

I dropped the bubble maker,

_2,_

I threw my arms around Percy's neck,

_3,_

I kissed him, as the choruses of a thousand goodbyes were yelled.

* * *

**ElmoDaHorse: Thank you! :D**

**Dynatide: Thank you very much :D Poor Percy indeed.**

**Review! It's really easy, plus I update faster and don't tend to go on a random Hiatus. :P**

**-Eli**


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